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La’el Collins after strong Cowboys debut: ‘I’m so far away from where I want to be’
Jon Machota
OXNARD, Calif. – Rookie offensive lineman La’el Collins had noticeable swelling above and below his right eye after Thursday’s preseason opener. But he didn’t appear to be in any pain. He actually never stopped smiling while talking about it.
The undrafted rookie the Cowboys signed shortly after the draft was just happy to be playing football.
“You live every day to make that dream come true, and just to be out there is a dream come true,” Collins said. “I was just, I was locked in. I was ready to roll. It was just a great opportunity to be out there and have fun.”
Collins entered the game at left guard on the Cowboys second series and played well into the third quarter. On the Cowboys’ lone touchdown, a five-yard Gus Johnson run, it was actually Collins providing the highlight with two impressive blocks.
“My eyes were on the backer the whole time,” Collins said. “I just got a really good fit on the three-technique and soon as the linebacker broke the heels of the defensive lineman I launched off and picked up a great block. The back did a great job of being patient and he got up there right in the middle.”
Is he looking forward to watching that play on tape?
“I’m looking forward to watching the whole game,” he said. “There’s a lot of things I need to clean up, things I can get better at, keep working on. I’m so far away from where I want to be at, I just need to continue to work.”
Despite looking like one of the best players on the field Thursday, Collins said he still feels “so far behind” the rest of the Cowboys offensive line.
“Those guys are so advanced at what they do,” he said. “For me, I come in every day with a pen and pad and write down everything that I can to help better my game. And then we just go out there every day and grind.”
Collins went undrafted in May after being part of an investigation into the murder of his former girlfriend. He was questioned by police but never considered a suspect.
After living through that experience and still getting a chance to play in the NFL, a likely first-round pick has all of the motivation he needs.
“It’s great to just be a part of this,” he said. “It’s special. Each and every day I come out and I don’t take it for granted. This is special. It was special from the first second I got here until the last second I’m going to be here.
“I’m just going to enjoy it and take it one day at a time and keep getting better.”
Below is an example of his success against San Diego from Twitter:
Jon Machota
OXNARD, Calif. – Rookie offensive lineman La’el Collins had noticeable swelling above and below his right eye after Thursday’s preseason opener. But he didn’t appear to be in any pain. He actually never stopped smiling while talking about it.
The undrafted rookie the Cowboys signed shortly after the draft was just happy to be playing football.
“You live every day to make that dream come true, and just to be out there is a dream come true,” Collins said. “I was just, I was locked in. I was ready to roll. It was just a great opportunity to be out there and have fun.”
Collins entered the game at left guard on the Cowboys second series and played well into the third quarter. On the Cowboys’ lone touchdown, a five-yard Gus Johnson run, it was actually Collins providing the highlight with two impressive blocks.
“My eyes were on the backer the whole time,” Collins said. “I just got a really good fit on the three-technique and soon as the linebacker broke the heels of the defensive lineman I launched off and picked up a great block. The back did a great job of being patient and he got up there right in the middle.”
Is he looking forward to watching that play on tape?
“I’m looking forward to watching the whole game,” he said. “There’s a lot of things I need to clean up, things I can get better at, keep working on. I’m so far away from where I want to be at, I just need to continue to work.”
Despite looking like one of the best players on the field Thursday, Collins said he still feels “so far behind” the rest of the Cowboys offensive line.
“Those guys are so advanced at what they do,” he said. “For me, I come in every day with a pen and pad and write down everything that I can to help better my game. And then we just go out there every day and grind.”
Collins went undrafted in May after being part of an investigation into the murder of his former girlfriend. He was questioned by police but never considered a suspect.
After living through that experience and still getting a chance to play in the NFL, a likely first-round pick has all of the motivation he needs.
“It’s great to just be a part of this,” he said. “It’s special. Each and every day I come out and I don’t take it for granted. This is special. It was special from the first second I got here until the last second I’m going to be here.
“I’m just going to enjoy it and take it one day at a time and keep getting better.”
Below is an example of his success against San Diego from Twitter:
